Oil well journal box dust guard



Jan. 22, 1963 s. w. CLUTTON on WELL JOURNAL BOX DUST GUARD Filed NOV. 3,1960 jim BY ATTO R N EYS.

United States Patent Ofilice 3,974,729 Patented Jan. 22, 1963 3,074,729OIL WELL JOURNAL BOX DUST GUARD Sam W. Clutton, P.O. Box 1104, GreatFalls, Mont. Filed Nov. 3, 1960, Ser. No. 67,080 4 Claims. (Cl. 277--26)This invention relates to a railway journal box, and more particularlyto a means for preventing overheating of the railway journal box.

This invention is an improvement on the grease well journal box dustguard of my prior Patent No. 2,497,864, dated February 21, 1950.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an oil well journalbox dust guard which has incorporated therein pressurized reserve oilcontainers which are positioned so that a reserve of journal box oilwill be sprayed on both the journal and journal lubricator in order toprevent hot box or prevent or minimize the possibility of railwayjournal box overheating.

Another object is to provide an improved oil well journal box dust guardwhich has incorporated therein pressurized reserve oil containers whichhave spray nozzles so that when heating occurs, fusible or alloy plugswill be melted away to uncover the spray nozzles. whereby a reserve ofjournal box oil will be effectively sprayed on both the journal andjournal lubricator in order to prevent overheating of the railwayjournal box and its associated parts.

Still another object is to provide such an oil well journal box dustguard that is rugged in structure and foolproof in operation and whichis economical to manufacture and efficient in use.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from areading of the following specification and claims, together with theaccompanying drawings, wherein like parts are referred to and indicatedby like reference characters and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a railway journalbox and showing the improved dust guard of the present invention mountedthereon.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the oil well journal box dust guardper se, and with parts broken away and in section.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view looking at the opposite side from thatshown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of one of the pressurized reserve oilcontainers.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view showing the spraynozzle in the lower portion of a pressurized reserve oil container.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a portionof a conventional car axle which includes the usual journal portion 11that bears on a brass 12, and the numeral 13 indicates a journal box ofa suitable construction, and the journal box 13 is provided with aslotted portion 14. According to the present invention there is providedan improved dust guard or protector which is indicated generally by thenumeral 15, and the protector 15 includes a body member 17 which isprovided with a circular opening 16 for the projection therethrough ofthe car axle.

The body member 17 is provided with a pair of spaced apart chambers orrecesses which are each indicated generally by the numeral 18, and thenumeral 19 indicates each of a pair of pressurized reserve oilcontainers which are shaped to conform to the configuration of thesechambers 18, and the containers 19 are snugly positioned or seated inthe chambers or recesses 18 as shown in the drawings. Each of thecontainers 19 has the same construction and each includes outer andinner wall portions 20 and 21 as well as an arcuate wall portion 2 and acurved wall section 23. The lower portion of the wall 20 is recessedinwardly as at 24, and a spray nozzle 25 is mounted in the recessedportion 24, FIGURE 7, the spray nozzle 25 being provided with anaperature or opening 26 whereby oil such as the oil 28 can selectivelyflow out through the aperture 26. The numeral 27 indicates a fusible oralloy plug which is normally arranged in covering relation with respectto the opening 26, but in the event that the journal box starts to heatup, the plug 27 will melt in order to uncover or expose the opening 26so that the oil 28 can flow out through the opening 26 in order to spraythe reserve oil 28 on both the journal and journal lubricator.

The numeral 29 indicates a backing plate which is suitably mounted onthe inner or rear portion of the protector 15, as for example as shownin FIGURE 4.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that there has been provided a greasewell journal box dust guard which is an improvement over prior suchdevices such as that shown in prior Patent No. 2,497,864, and in usewith the parts arranged as shown in the drawings, it will be seen thatthe protector 15 is adapted to be positioned in the slotted portion 14of the journal box 13. The protector 15 includes the body member 17which has the central opening 16 for the projection therethrough of aportion of the car axle 10. The protector 15 is provided with a pair ofspaced apart chambers 18 which are shaped to snugly receive therein thecontainers 19, and the containers 19 are adapted to hold a quantity ofoil 28 and these containers 19 may be pressurized so that when heatingoccurs, the plugs 27 will melt and the oil 28 will be sprayed outthrough the opening 26 of the spray nozzle 25 in order to prevent orminimize overheating. Each of the containers 19 includes the innerarcuate wall 22 so that with the parts arranged as for example as shownin FIGURES 2 and 3, it will be seen that these arcuate walls 22 willconform to the configuration of the opening 16 in order to snugly engagethe portion of a car axle extending through the opening 16. The opening26 in the spray nozzle 25 faces into the interior of the box 13 so thatwhen these openings 26 are uncovered or exposed by melting of the alloyplug 27, the oil from the containers 19 will spray out through theopening 26 due to the fact that the oil is under pressure in thecontainer as previously stated. The backing plate 29 helps maintain orretain the containers 19 in the chambers or recesses 18 as for exampleas shown in FIGURE 4. The con tainers fit in the chambers 18 with a snugfit so that accidental disengagement or movement of the containers fromthe chambers 18 will be prevented. Also, as shown in FIGURE 7 the lowerportion of the wall 20 of the container is recessed inwardly as at 24and a spray nozzle 25 is aflixed to this inwardly recessed portion 24 insuch a manner that with the plug 27 over the opening 26, the plug willbe flush with the wall surface 20.

The parts can be made of any suitable material and in different shapesor sizes.

As shown in the drawings, the oil containers 19 are recessed in the openpockets or chambers 18 and are not covered by any kind of plate on thejournal side although there is a backing plate 29 on the wheel side, andthe containers are held in place by a press fit. The alloy plug 27 isarranged in the recessed portion as shown in FIG- URE 7 so that thisplug is flush with the face 20 of the container.

It will be seen that according to the present invention there has beenprovided an oil well journal box dust guard which will prevent orminimize the possibility of railway journal box overheating which isoften referred to as hot box and it will be seen that there isincorporated into the usual journal box dust guard 15 two pressurizedreserve oil containers 19 which are positioned or arranged so that theywill spray a reserve of journal box oil on both the journal and journallubri'cator. Initial heating serves to melt away the alloyed plugs 27which cover the spray nozzles 25.

The present invention uses coolant oil rather than grease as set forthin prior Patent No. 2,497,864, and the coolant oil is indicated by thenumeral 28. In addition the pressurized containers will afford a morepositive liberation of the reserve oil as compared to the melting heatand gravity method utilized in prior Patent No. 2,497,864. The oilcontainers are positioned according to the present invention in a uniqueand desirable location so as to make the oil containers and theirfusible plugs more sensitive to overheating.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming withinthe field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, ifdesired.

What is claimed is:

l. in a device of the character described, a journal box, a car axlehaving a journal portion positioned in said box, said journal boxincluding a slotted portion, a dust guard positioned in the slottedportion of said journal box and said dust guard being provided with acircular opening for the projection therethrough of the axle, said dustguard being provided with a pair of chambers that are arranged in spacedapart relation with respect to each other, a pair of similar spacedapart pressurized oil containers snugly seated in said chambers, each ofsaid containers including spaced apart inner and outer walls and eachcontainer further including an arcuate wall portion adjacent the openingin the dust guard and each container further including a curved wallsection, there being a recessed section in the lower portion of theouter wall of the container, a spray nozzle in said recessed section,and a fusible plug mounted on said spray nozzle.

2. In a device of the character described, a railway journal box dustguard comprising a body member provided with a circular opening for theprojection therethrough of, a car axle, said body member having a pairof spaced apart chambers therein, a pair of pressurized reserve oilcontainers snugly seated in said chambers, spray nozzles in the lowerportions of said containers, and fusible plugs on said spray nozzles.

3. In a device of the character described, a railway journal box dustguard comprising a body member provided with a circular opening for theprojection therethrough of a car axle, said body member having a pair ofspaced apart chambers therein, a pair of pressurized reserve oilcontainers snugly seated in said chambers, spray nozzles in the lowerportions of said containers, and fusible plugs on said spray nozzles,whereby heat will melt away the plugs that are on the spray nozzles soas to cause oil from the containers to spray out through the nozzles.

4. A grease well journal box dust guard comprising a body memberprovided with a circular opening, there being a pair of spacedapartchambers in said body member, a pair of spaced apart pressurizedreserve oil containers snugly seated in said chambers, each of saidcontainers including a lower recessed section, a spray nozzle mounted insaid recessed section, and a fusible plug mounted on said spray nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS995,459 Henderson June 20, 1911 2,440,331 Eisensmith Apr. 27, 19482,497,864 Clutton Feb. 21, 1950

1. IN A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, A JOURNAL BOX, A CAR AXLEHAVING A JOURNAL PORTION POSITIONED IN SAID BOX, SAID JOURNAL BOXINCLUDING A SLOTTED PORTION, A DUST GUARD POSITIONED IN THE SLOTTEDPORTION OF SAID JOURNAL BOX AND SAID DUST GUARD BEING PROVIDED WITH ACIRCULAR OPENING FOR THE PROJECTION THERETHROUGH OF THE AXLE, SAID DUSTGUARD BEING PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF CHAMBERS THAT ARE ARRANGED IN SPACEDAPART RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, A PAIR OF SIMILAR SPACEDAPART PRESSURIZED OIL CONTAINERS SNUGLY SEATED IN SAID CHAMBERS, EACH OFSAID CONTAINERS INCLUDING SPACED APART INNER AND OUTER WALLS AND EACHCONTAINER FURTHER INCLUDING AN ARCUATE WALL PORTION ADJACENT THE OPENINGIN THE DUST GUARD AND EACH CONTAINER FURTHER INCLUDING A CURVED WALLSECTION, THERE BEING A RECESSED SECTION IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THEOUTER WALL OF THE CONTAINER, A SPRAY NOZZLE IN SAID RECESSED SECTION,AND A FUSIBLE PLUG MOUNTED ON SAID SPRAY NOZZLE.